As is well known to practitioners of, for instance, High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), (also known as High Performance Liquid Chromatography), it is often necessary to coordinate fractionalization of sample analyte(s) containing solutions with the positioning of collection means, so that fractional collection of separate analyte components in said sample analyte(s) containing solution can be separated and individually collected.
Briefly, High Pressure/Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), is a method by which a solution containing multiple sample analytes is caused to flow through a Chromatography Column which is packed with a material that demonstrates different affinities for different of present sample analytes. The beneficial result is that various sample analytes present in said solution, exit the Chromatography Column at sequentially progressive, different times. (It is noted that the Chromatography Column is often referred to as the Stationary Phase and the Eluent as the Mobile Phase).
It is to be understood that the time at which a specific sample analyte in a solution exits a Chromatography Column is determined by properties of the packing material therein, the strength and effectiveness of the mobile phase, the sample analyte present, the flow rate of the sample solution, and other factors such as temperature and pressure in the Chromatography Column etc. And, it is to be understood that if it is desired to fractionate a solution exiting a Chromatography Column, and separately distribute different analytes present therein into different receiving means, then it is necessary to coordinate the fractionalization of the solution and the positioning of said receiving means.
There are various approaches to accomplishing fractionalization of solutions. One approach requires only that a sequence of receiving means be positioned to receive soultion exiting a Chromatography Column, with some schedule of time periods determining when a receiving means positioned so as to receive solution is moved and another receiving means so placed. After such a run, the various receiving means are tested to determine which contain the desired sample analytes, and the contents of other receiving means are discarded.
Another approach requires that solution exiting a Chromatography Column be directed into a waste station, and when desired a receiving means is positioned to receive a sample. This is usually accomplished utilizing a rotary tray. It is noted that rotary trays are limited in how many receiving means can be utilized, and precludes use of "micro-plates".
Valves are, at times, employed in procedures to control the fractionalization process of a solution, but dripping between sample collection, and the occurrence of dead-volumes can present as problems to successful practice of said procedures.
Problems facing a user when practicing said known approaches to accomplishing fractionalization of solutions include a less than definite control as to when a sample of a solution exiting a Chromatography Column is collected, and little control over the volume of samples collected.
It is also noted that an absorbance based detector can be used to determine when a sample analyte is present in and near the end of a chromatography column, and a signal from said detector which can be based upon a change in slope of a detected signal or based upon the reaching of a threshold value, can be used to control when a sample fraction is to be collected.
With an eye toward the present invention, a search of Patents was performed, with the most significant result being that very few Patents were identified.
A Patent to Hanset. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,217 is perhaps the closest Patent which found, as it describes a metering system for application in disbursing accurate amounts of catalyst. Said 217 Patent system incorporates a piston rod which in use serves to position a chamber so that it can first receive an amount of catalyst, and then disburse said received amount of catalyst. Said disbursement is mediated by an air blast.
A Patent to Bonn et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,236 is also disclosed, and incorporated herein by reference, as it describes a particulary relevant chromatography column for spearating single and double stranded nucleic acids, which can be utilized with the present invention.
Patents also identified by the Searcher, but which are not considered to be relevant and which are disclosed herein only because the inventors are aware thereof, are U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,830 to Spencer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,062 to Cooks et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,254 to Zhu et al.
A system and method which would provide a user thereof definite control as to when a fractionated sample of a solution exiting a chromatography column is obtained, and provide a user control over the size of said fractionated sample obtained, would provide presently unavailable utility.